"The superiority of chocolate, both for health and nourishment, will soon give it the same preference over tea
and coffee in America which it has in Spain." Thomas Jefferson

How to Temper Chocolate

Chocolate containing cocoa butter requires tempering. (Merckens chocolates contain pure
chocolate liquors combined with cocoa butter, whole milk and other flavors.) This is a process of
heating and cooling the chocolate at just the right temperature in order to form the right
crystals. Tempering can be very tricky since temperatures must be carefully controlled. But with
very little practice, you can get the hang of it. You will need a instant read thermometer in order
to make sure you are within the appropriate temperature ranges.
If you can't be bothered with paying attention to the thermometer but you would absolutely love
to work with real chocolate, then a chocolate tempering machine is for you. (Don't worry, I know
of a professional confectioner who admits that tempering chocolate is his weakness.) With these
home chocolate tempering machines, all you have to do is put the chocolate in, push some
buttons and you end up with perfectly tempered chocolate. ChocoVision's "Revolation1" Temperer
is a tabletop temperer designed to hold 1 1/2 pounds of chocolate.

A few notes before you begin:

The melting point of chocolate is just at or slightly below human body temperature. That is why it
melts so easily in the hands and mouth. This low melting point, however, makes it very easy to for
chocolate to burn if it is heated over 200°F (95°C) so you must not heat chocolate directly on the
stove top or a flame.

If you heat your chocolate in a double boiler, you must never let the water boil; the water
temperature should not exceed 120°F (49°C). When heating chocolate over water, you must not let
any water or steam whatsoever get into the chocolate. This will cause the chocolate to seize and will
ruin it for molding or dipping purposes. (If the chocolate does seize, you don't need to throw it away.
You can make syrup out of it by stirring in enough cream or milk to a smooth consistency.) Place a
towel on your work surface so that you will have a place to put the pan when you remove it from the
heat.

You could also melt your chocolate in a warm oven, but do not heat it above 120° (49°C). Stir the
chocolate occasionally while melting.

I do not recommend using the microwave to melt chocolate. You will end up with hot spots which may
actually burn the chocolate and it must be stirred very often. I find it quite a bother to open and
close the microwave door every thirty seconds. It is so much easier to use the stove top or the oven.

To temper chocolate:

Measure the amount of Merckens chocolate wafers that you wish to melt and place it in a pan. If you
are using a block of chocolate, break it up into small pieces. (You can use a large knife to chop the
chocolate.) Now measure about a third of that amount and set it aside. For example, you will need to
set aside an extra 6 ounces of chocolate if you are melting 18 ounces. This chocolate will be stirred
in later to get the desired "seed" crystals.

Slowly begin melting the chocolate. Stir frequently until the chocolate reaches between 105°F (41°C)
110°F (45°C). You will need an instant-read thermometer to accurately measure the temperature.

Be careful not to go over this temperature. Remove the pan from the heat and dry the bottom if
necessary. Now, you will need to add the un-melted chocolate that you set aside. Stir vigorously until
the chocolate is melted and the chocolate's temperature is between 88-90°F (31-32°C). The
chocolate should be kept at this temperature until it is used. If you need to keep the chocolate in
temper for a long period of time, you could try placing a heating pad under the towel that your bowl
is resting on. You will need to keep turning the pad on and off, because the constant heat will be too
much. Be sure to stir often and keep a close eye on the temperature.

If your chocolate gets too cool to work with, you must bring the temperature back up to 90°F (32°C).

To test how well you did, you can dip a dry spoon into the chocolate and let it sit for two to three
minutes. If it is still sticky, it is not in temper. Correctly tempered chocolate results in a beautiful
shiny chocolate. You will know when chocolate has been incorrectly tempered when the results
are sticky, dull, streaky or spotted.

After you have molded your tempered chocolate or used it for dipping, do not allow it to cool too
quickly or you will see streaks or spots. The temperatures given above apply to dark chocolate, but if
you are tempering milk chocolate or white chocolate, the following temperature ranges must be used
instead:

Milk 86-88°F (30-31°C)
White 80-82°F (27-28°C)

Ideally, the temperature of the room should be around 68°F.

If you did not temper the chocolate properly, don't worry, you can start all over using the same
chocolate. Chocolate can be melted and re-melted over and over. Just remember to add in a couple
extra ounces of seed chocolate when you get to the tempering stage.